


Helping Hands

by AbelQuartz



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Authority Figures, Childhood, Exhaustion, F/M, Gen, Motherhood, Pregnancy, Recovery, Summer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2019-06-26
Packaged: 2020-05-20 03:45:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,790
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19369183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AbelQuartz/pseuds/AbelQuartz
Summary: [COMM] It’s been close to nine months. Near the end of her pregnancy, Connie is tired and ready to rest for today. But Lapis and Peridot need a little lesson in human safety, maternity, and how to keep someone out of the house for just a little bit longer...





	Helping Hands

**Author's Note:**

> This is a spiritual successor to Loveshook. Check it out if you'd like!

**** When does a summer end? Connie pulled her water bottle out of her purse and took a long, final drink. She shook the empty bottle, then slipped it back and rested one hand on her swollen stomach. The bad heat should have been over here in the northeast, but early September came with a strange wave that kept leaves on trees and warmth on the ocean. Thankfully, it allowed Connie to walk in her sundress and hat, something light to keep herself and the baby from overheating. Sitting was fine for now, to rest her aching back and feet.

If it were up to her, she would be inside, but Steven had insisted on Connie getting fresh air and some sunlight while they still had it. He was constantly worried about her health, postpartum issues, and the future of their household. Even in the moments when he was at his worst, though, Connie knew it was out of love. And he was always encouraging in his own way.

The park was as bustling as the pier on the other side of the buildings. In Beach City, there weren’t too many places for people to congregate beside the beach, but Dewey Park was well-maintained and simply peaceful. Not every face was familiar, but it didn’t matter at the moment. The two she did recognize were their usual selves, and their presence an accepting form of supervision - at Steven’s behest, of course.

“Almost two decillion kilograms of energy, and we’re getting the worst of it,” Peridot grumbled, tugging at her dress.

Lapis sat down next to Connie and held out a finger like a pistol. She made a whispered shooting noise with her mouth and squirted a jet of water right past Peridot’s head.

The green Gem turned with a stomp, holding out an accusatory finger.

“Where did you get that?” she demanded. “I know you can’t manifest from the atmosphere. Did you take some from Connie’s receptacle? Do you want her to dehydrate?!”

“I got some from the fountain. I won’t cause another incident this time, don’t worry. Just enough to save up in the wings for a squirt,” Lapis said, gesturing with her thumb.

“Peridot, really, I’m fine. Lapis didn’t take anything from the bottle. But I am out of water. I should probably get some more.”

Connie closed her eyes and put a hand on the rail, preparing herself for the rise. Immediately, she felt Lapis’ touch on her right shoulder and Peridot’s on her left. Neither one of them wanted to put any significant pressure on her. Connie blinked down as Peridot reached beside her and fumbled out the water bottle.

“You’re going to overexert yourself! I’ll refill the bottle. You sit still and don’t do anything whatsoever.”

Peridot marched off towards the park’s fountain, chasing away some thirsty seagulls. Connie watched with a smirk and a shaking head. Even if she hadn’t turned out to be an ally, the little warrior was endearing in her own way. Lapis reluctantly let go, then leaned forwards. When Connie turned, she noticed the Gem looking at her belly, a question clearly starting to form.

“So.”

Lapis cleared her throat.

“What does it...feel like?”

They were aliens, after all. But Connie smiled warmly. Anyone could have the same question. Steven had thought about it once or twice, she was pretty sure, and there probably wasn’t a comparable sensation to be found anywhere in the galaxy. Having another living creature inside of you, separate from you, was a joy and a strangeness. Connie relaxed her hands on top of her belly and sighed.

“Heavy,” she finally said. “I wish I could explain, but I think this is one of those human things, you know? I can’t ever understand what it would be like to shapeshift, or to poof and reform like you guys have. And - well, no I suppose Rose did it, but she was the only one. I don’t know how to feel about it myself, honestly. There’s new life, growing inside of me. Moving, breathing, and all we can do is wait to love them.”

All the Gems had at one point or another put their hands on Connie to feel the child move. The Gems who had felt Rose were excited and teary-eyed, while Lapis, Peridot and Bismuth had had different levels of shock. Bismuth had been mystified by the inner workings of how a child could possibly grow. Lapis had been weirded out, but understood enough not to be disrespectful. Peridot had immediately started to interrogate the child loudly through Connie’s body and had to be explained to once again how human babies worked.

The entire household called Greg for advice frequently - mostly Steven - and while the man knew a lot about babies, pregnancy with Rose was different. He stated repeatedly how Rose had been different and alien from the other pregnant women he had known through his life, and everyone chalked that up to Gem magic in some form or another. Greg did assure, though, that as soon as the baby came out, he would be able to give them all the help he could.

Lapis sat up and nodded. Acceptance was the only way to get through an ordeal that was normal for one and completely alien for another. She looked at Connie again. The woman wasn’t sure what was on her companion’s mind, but she felt the concern, and it warmed her.

“There will never be another like it,” she said finally. “Not any other human. Not you, or Steven - we don’t know anything, do we.”

“Exactly. So, all we can do is help them to grow up to be the best person they can be.”

“Steven - he’s a Diamond, a Gem. Like Rose. Do you know if the baby will have any powers?”

“Nope! We have no idea. Steven’s worried about it, but I hope they do. Oh, Peridot - thank you.”

Peridot extended the full water bottle proudly, just returned from her mission. Connie took it with a smile, immediately raising it to drink. It meant she would have to get to a restroom sooner rather than later, but that was the price of having a tiny human on top of your bladder. Lapis took a deep breath as she sat back, with Peridot plopping onto the bench right next to them.

“What’re you two on about?” she quipped.

“Just talking about the baby, about what it’s like to - you know, carry.”

“Ah! I’m glad there are so many abundant resources for genetic interaction,” Peridot said. “I have a full and complete understanding of human reproduction, and am no longer repulsed by the absolutely horrendous activities associated with conception.”

Yes, Connie thought, and there was the scrubbing of the laptop that Steven had to do after some other ‘research’ had taken place. But Peridot’s heart was in it, and that was all that mattered. As for their bodies, Lapis and Peridot could stay out in the day for as long as inorganic bodies could, and Connie could release them as soon as they walked her home. A cup of sweet tea and a nap was all that she wanted at the moment.

“I’m glad you two are so caught up with my body,” Connie sighed, “but I think it’s time for me to head back to the house. Would you mind walking me?”

Lapis jumped up suddenly, her hands out as if to stop Connie from running off - as if that was possible. Next to her, Peridot got a strange, panicked expression on her face as Lapis retracted her hands, grimacing as she appeared to struggle for something to say. Connie was used to the strange behaviors from the other Gems, especially the Homeworld Gems, but this was different for these two. Connie tapped her fingers on the arm of the bench. Her companions remained somewhat frozen without an answer, and Connie glanced from one to the other. She didn’t have the energy to reprimand them for this suspicious behavior, but they still owed her some kind of explanation.

“Well… It’s still such a nice day, though! Why don’t we head on down to the beach and take a nice walk there?” Lapis said. 

“My feet are killing me already. I’m carrying around an extra forty pounds on me at all times, Lapis. It was enough to walk down here already.”

“Well, why not let us take you over to Funland?” Peridot interrupted, jumping off the bench. “And you can do a ride and sit and not worry and  _ still _ have fun in the sun!”

“Okay, um, thank you for the suggestion, but that’s dangerous for both me and the baby. We’re both a little more fragile at the moment - certainly too fragile for a roller coaster.”

Peridot was erring on the side of panic now, but after over a decade of living around her Connie was used to the fact that the Gem was always on the verge. Lapis crossed her arms over her chest and looked more uncomfortable than usual. There was probably something brewing in the back of her mind, to emerge at the right time.

“Arcades!” Peridot said with both fists pumped in the air. “You can enjoy some video gaming! Minimal motion, all with the hands and the arms. No feet necessary and no danger to the infant!”

Connie sighed and rubbed her hands over her knees. Maybe it was because they hadn’t spent a lot of time together over the past few months. Gems didn’t get tired. A Gem’s body never would go through the kind of process that would inhibit them like Connie was inhibited now. Or, from what she knew, if a Gem was going through any kind of physical deformation, they were either made that way and declared defective or being tortured. Healthcare on alien worlds probably wasn’t the best.

“Or, um, how about ice cream? It’s easy to digest and shouldn’t cause any internal trouble! It’s soothing to the body for heat reduction as well?”

“I don’t know if I can eat right now, Peri. My body doesn’t have the best relationship with food right now. It’s okay, really. I think I just need to rest.”

“Connie, when are you going to get - better?”

It was as simple as the question could be phrased. Peridot glared at Lapis for committing such a faux pas, but Connie finally looked up. The blue Gem really didn’t have any understanding. Organic reproduction was probably known on Homeworld with their visits and destruction of other planets, but the effects on people that a Gem would care about were virtually unknown, a concept outside of any average Gem’s understanding. Connie smiled as gently as she could, offering her hands. Lapis stepped up and Peridot stepped back. With some heaving, Connie got to her feet and held on to Lapis, offering her other hand to Peridot.

“We don’t know when the baby’s going to come out, but it’ll be soon,” she said. “And it’s not up to us to decide when it’s ready. Sometimes it happens early, sometimes it happens later. Any way it happens, I know that it’s going to be worth all of...this. I’d love to ride and eat and play with you guys all day. But part of being a mother is sacrifice. This life, it isn’t just mine right now! It’s really a small sacrifice to make, to bring new life into the world. In the moment, yeah, it’s a pain. But love’s a pain sometimes. And this’ll all pass.”

Lapis didn’t look convinced, but she didn’t protest. Connie didn’t expect her to understand right now. Maybe once the baby came, they could understand. Hopefully, in time, they’d also know what a baby was. Steven’s stories of his infancy from Greg were colorful and wild in a way that made for fantastic retelling and a terrifying upbringing. Connie had put her foot down early that Gem shenanigans around the baby would be minimized. There was only so much a child needed.

“What else is being a mother about?” Lapis asked suddenly.

There was a question Connie didn’t know how to answer, not quite. The newness of this experience took a toll on her as much as any part. 

“It’s about providing!” Peridot quipped. “From those  _ Natural World Explorations _ series! Just about all animals provide shelter and food, and other functions for their young. Right?”

“You’re right, Peridot. But there’s more to that when raising a child.”

“Like what?”

What seemed like a lifetime ago, Peridot had emerged from a civilization with no children, no raising, nothing resembling parental figures. The Gems had never been children, and had never had or been parents themselves. It was hard to imagine, watching the maternal nature of Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl during Steven’s upbringing. But their love was an act of resistance, as it had been from the beginning.

“Humans need community, discipline. We aren’t born with right and wrong. We learn from the world around us and the people who love us. That’s what adults are for, especially parents. All of us need to help the baby grow.”

When Connie looked at Lapis, she shared a moment of knowing, and Lapis tensed her jaw. There was a shadow over every part of their past - the Diamonds. The figureheads of Homeworld had no motherly bones in their body, but they had their place in the Gems’ memories as absolute authorities. There was the unspoken part, the part that Lapis now had to work through that the Crystal Gems all had to when they met Steven: they had to overcome the world that had raised them. Humans, in that regard, had it much easier than the Gems. But everyone needed to work together. Lapis nodded softly, and a smile came over her face. Connie had a feeling she knew what that meant.

“Well… Then let’s get you rested. And safe.”

“Lapis! What about - you know - “

There was that look between them again. Connie felt a prick of irritation, but it was nothing she couldn’t quell for the sake of the Gems. She raised an eyebrow at Peridot, and just as she suspected, the green Gem crumbled almost instantly.

“Look, okay, we’ll take you back, and you can see for yourself.

“See what?”

* * *

 

In less than a month, Connie knew, these stairs would cease to be a pain. Getting up required hand-holding from Lapis as well as a grip on the stairwell, while Peridot remained behind them with her arms outstretched in case Connie fell backwards. When they finally got to the top, after the walk across the beach and the boardwalk, she felt like she could keel over. Even out here on the porch, she could hear the air conditioning and fans indoors keeping the house as cool as it could be in this heat.

Peridot opened the door first, scuttling inside with the other two behind her. The floor looked so different with the whole living room removed. Trading out the space for the baby’s room had been a necessity, and Bismuth had done so much help on construction. Underneath Steven’s old bedroom, the floor had been reinforced and the whole wall hollowed to make a new room. The side of the staircase extended upwards into a new wall. Next to Steven’s old room on the upper floor was the storage space and a small sitting area, while underneath, the baby’s room could have a window and some natural light. There was no wall on the lower section, but there was a curtain drawn shut, and there would eventually be a door when it had to be converted to a real room.

There was movement behind the curtain. Peridot cleared her throat, but Steven had already flung it open. He was so tall that his curls brushed against the bottom of the storage room floor. As soon as he saw Connie, he smiled brighter than he ever had, almost as much as their wedding day. Connie smiled back, but her eyes caught the stains on his old shirt, light blue speckles on the yellow tank he wore for painting work.

“Connie! Hey!”

“Hello?” she said, trying not to smirk. “What’s all this about, then?”

“Okay, we, um - “

Steven stepped out and closed the curtain behind him, stepping over to his wife like he was on eggshells. Connie accepted his kiss, his embrace around her that he had to lean over for so as not to crush her belly, and kissed back before she put one hand on his chest.

“Did you have these two take me out to distract me while you finished the room?”

Steven and Connie looked at Lapis and Peridot, both with varying degrees of sheepishness written on their faces. Lapis shrugged it off, as if apologizing for having to hide her true intentions for the afternoon. Peridot stood as still as a stump with a permanently terrified expression holding her smile together.

“Steven, what did you do?” Connie sighed, turning back to her husband.

“He wasn’t alone.”

From behind the curtain, another figure bent and stepped out, careful to duck first. Connie had seen more of Bismuth around the house following construction, but her presence here was different somehow. She had the same kind of warm smile as Steven, but with Lapis and Peridot’s cheekiness tucked in there. There was indeed something behind the curtain. Apt for the metaphor, but curious still. Bismuth rested her hands on her hips and let out a breath. 

Connie looked up at her husband. Steven merely guided her to the curtain. Lapis and Peridot edged closer as Bismuth took the edge, ready to pull it back.

“I started work on it a few months ago, but Steven wanted to save it near the end with the room. Thank goodness we weren’t too late, right?” Bismuth chuckled.

Steven put his hands on Connie’s shoulders, squeezing out her tension gently. The woman rested her hands on her belly, quietly nervous. There was only so much that they could do to surprise her now. Bismuth walked to the side with the curtain in tow, pulling it back as Steven led his wife inside. Connie stepped into the room, and immediately brought her hands up to her mouth.

“I used white pine, ruby oil stain,” Bismuth said. “Steven helped design it, but only Bismuth got that skill.”

The crib was just the right size for either of the expectant parents to bend down and pick up their baby. Each of the four corner columns were thick and square, but had carvings from top to bottom, an intricate pattern of vines and flowers carved straight out of the wood. The bars were thick and strong, pattered for texture enjoyable to a baby’s roaming hands. The stain left the light wood with a gentle red finish, a perfect pink against the background blue that they had chosen for the room. There was no human on Earth that could craft this kind of mastery. Connie stepped forwards and brought her trembling hands to the wall of the crib. It was impossibly polished, sturdy yet smooth to the touch, like she was petting living stone. Up close, she could see the veins in the petal of each flower, organic knobs and bumps in the vines surrounding the pole. The work must have taken so many sleepless nights.

When she looked up, Connie bit her cheek, and a teardrop fell down over and curled to her chin. The small table next to the wall had a sketchbook, a can of paint, and some small brushes in a pan next to it. The blue of the wall had been decorated by Steven while she was out. A massive treble clef with stellated flourishes at each end hung in the sky, and following it was a winding trail of sheet music that wrapped back and forth across the wall. Each note was a star, each stem and flag trailing the head like a comet. As rushed as the job had to be, Connie could see from the sketchbook that Steven had been planning it for a long time, perfecting the art of what he wanted to do. The entire first half of the book was crumpled and used, probably with hundreds of drafts that Steven had made beforehand. Connie couldn’t read the tune through her tears, but she knew that it was a real song that Steven had written just for her - just for the baby.

Bismuth, Lapis and Peridot all stood by the curtain as Connie turned and hugged her husband as much as her body would allow. There was only the tidying to be done, and she knew that Steven and Bismuth would take care of it. Steven would take care of everything. Connie tried to stop crying, but she couldn’t make her heart let go. A gentle sob came out, muffled by her husband’s shirt as she held him and rocked. Steven held her gently and let her move, back and forth, getting all her thanks out. She didn’t need to say a word. 

None of them needed to say anything. Steven kissed the top of her head, and Connie knew finally what it meant to be a mother. It meant nothing without a family. It meant nothing without the love that came from the child’s father, the Gems, the town that would come to watch the child grow. The child inside of her turned softly, pushing inside her with what she could only assume was eagerness.

There was nothing left to do but wait. Connie held Steven as he murmured an  _ ‘I love you’ _ right down to her. She already knew, but it felt so good to hear him say. The warmth through the open windows cooled down her skin and cooled her beating heart. The baby would grow and be loved, no matter what happened. With a family that cared this much, nobody could go wanting for love. Out of all the children on Earth, Connie knew that this child would be loved more than any other. The crib stood solid in the room as Steven began to hum softly. Without looking up, Connie knew that it was the song that he had written on the wall, a sweet melody he would one day teach to his future child as they sat in the room together and played. Connie didn’t know any of the notes, but in her heart, she began humming along just the same. Her voice emerged out of the song, to everyone in the room, to her husband, to her baby, to Bismuth and Lapis and Peridot and everyone who had ever loved her before.

“I love you, too,” Connie whispered.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for the anonymous commissioner for requesting this story! It was super sweet and really fun to do another perspective.


End file.
